FORT SILL, Okla. (Nov. 5, 2015) -- I grew up in Texas and while I know people who were affected by tornados, I was blessed never to have been a victim of its destructive power.
Just a few hours ago I went to the Museum of the Great Plains. They aren't opened yet but they will be Nov. 21 (mark your calendars and go -- I promise it's worth the cost of half-priced tickets to go). Still I asked really nicely and they let me come early to check it out so I could tell you all about it.
It. Is. Amazing.
I tell you about my trip to the museum because while I was there I got to sit inside a replicated storm cellar and listen to a tornado pass over me while survivors from the 1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak, commonly referred to as "Terrible Tuesday," shared the details of what they experienced.
I still don't know what it's like to be in a tornado, but I do think I'll start taking the warnings a little more seriously. The potential for devastation is incredible. Even though I grew up just a few hours south of here, I didn't know how bad it was until now. I definitely got an education.
That was just the beginning of my tour of the museum.
When I arrived at Fort Sill in April, the museum had been closed for some time as they conducted their renovations. After $4.3 million and lots of work, their doors cracked open for people like me to take a look.
John Hernandez, the museum executive director, met me and took me on a tour while explaining all the exhibits and features -- and there are a lot. Let me just name a few: You can create a wind turbine, dissect a bison, dig for artifacts, design a piece of leather (and take it home), use a printing press (and take your print home), create your own cattle brand (and take a print home), take photos in a teepee, try on different hats and even square off with a dinosaur (but only until April when they migrate to another museum).
Those are just the highlights.
Hernandez told me the entire museum is designed for people to "explore and discover," and oftentimes that means exploring with hands-on learning. Instead of looking at a priceless piece of pottery behind thick glass, you can try and put back together the broken pieces of a shattered pot (it's more difficult than you think). In the new museum children don't just read about early life on the Great Plains, they can walk inside a teepee, go shop inside a general store, try their hand at a lasso -- history here comes to life as visitors give life to it.
Since I wasn't here before the renovations began I wasn't familiar with the upstairs science area. For those who have been to the museum in the past, that area remains the same. For those who haven't been, let me tell you what they have up there. It's all creative and critical thinking, for example one wall asks children to move a ball using tubes and planks safely to the floor. Another area invites you to create a tabletop maze or manipulate a water bottle so that it is the most aerodynamic.
I was beside myself with excitement, but did my best to conceal it because, really, who wants to see a 31-year-old woman squeal over a printing press or get exciting about scanning a dinosaur egg (I swear, there is so much cool stuff there). What I loved most was knowing I could bring my almost 2-year-old son here and release him without worrying he would touch something because everything is designed to be picked up, put on or photographed.
Hernandez said in the past visitors might tour the museum for an hour but he expects that with the changes and added features visitors will stay to explore for closer to two and three hours. I completely agree. I can see easily having my toddler and my 9-year-old spend all day at the museum. I can already imagine tearing them away from digging for dinosaur bones or chasing each other as cowboys and Native Americans. The only thing missing from the museum is a coffee shop for me to get more energy while my little ones exhaust their own.
I feel like I could write about this for another hour but I'm running out of print space so I better wrap it up. The ribbon-cutting and opening day is set for Nov. 21. On that day, admission will be half off. Regular prices are $10/adult, $8/child (free for children 0-2 years old), $9/senior citizen, $9/military and those enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program receive half off their admission. Hernandez said family-year passes will also be available for purchase at $75 and will allow a family to visit the museum as often as they choose.
You know, while I was there I didn't even visit the outdoor exhibits. I suppose I'll have to save that visit for another OBL.
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